About Aqueila Lewis
From around five years old, I knew that I wanted to be a writer. It was a way to escape my life. I vaguely remember my mother firmly say that, “Being African-American didn’t matter, but being a Christian was more important!” I silently disagreed and sought out to see if her statement was true. Before I had the opportunity to go to college, I observed the world that I was born in and knew that I wanted to change it. About five years ago on October 20, 2010, I took the first step to writing my story and shared my work publicly at an open mic in Oakland. From this life-changing experience, I have shared stages with some of the most amazing artists that I can now call my peers, mentors and friends.

http://cpa.ds.npr.org/kalw/audio/2016/05/WEB.ArtForclosure.mp3 This is my grandmother’s story as much as it is mine. I lived with her, Attaway, on 2657 67th Avenue from August 2006 to May 2012 and enjoyed every minute of it. But, a series of events killed my joy. My Grandmommy became a victim of predatory lending, the mortgage ballooned and on January …Read more…

Twenty weeks ago, if you had approached 16-year- old Jerome Traylor and asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he probably wouldn’t have an answer for you. “I had been to jail four times. There was never anyone there for me,” said Traylor. Traylor met Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) …Read more…

It will be two years in November, just long enough to love where I live. It was a cold winter night when I first walked up the steps of the multi-family house. At the time, the upstairs unit included three rooms, one rented by my current roommate, a mother and son shared a room …Read more…